The present invention relates to a device for creating data-containing musical composition (i.e., music piece) information which simultaneously enables a music performance based on a MIDI file and other processing such as display of a message, a transmission/reception system for transmitting/receiving the musical composition information, a reproduction device for reproducing the musical composition information, and a recording medium storing the musical composition information.
When musical composition information (typically a MIDI file) is to be transmitted by e-mail or the like, it has been customary to attach the MIDI file to the body of the e-mail message (message text file). For this purpose, the MIDI file is first encoded into a text file, and then the thus-encoded MIDI text file is attached to and transmitted with the message text file. At an receiving end, the MIDI text file is extracted from the received message text file and the extracted MIDI text file is decoded to reproduce the original MIDI file. The thus-reproduced MIDI file is stored into a predetermined folder, and it is then processed by a MIDI reproduction application so as to concurrently execute a music performance based on the MIDI file and other processing such as display of messages and other textual information.
It has also been known to display messages and the like simultaneously with execution of a music performance based on a MIDI file by viewing, via a browser, predetermined WWW (World Wide Web) pages created using a MIDI file and message text file. In this case, the URL of the pages in question must be transmitted, via e-mail or otherwise, to a party requesting the messages because it is necessary for the requesting party to access the pages.
However, in the first-mentioned case where the MIDI file is attached to and transmitted with the message text file via e-mail, these two files must be reproduced using different application software, which would be very burdensome. In the second-mentioned case where predetermined WWW pages are used, the WWW pages must be created, one by one, in such a manner that they can associate the message display with the performance processing. Further, because the message text file and the MIDI file exist separately in the created pages, management and handling of the files tend to be very difficult and burdensome. In addition, the message-requesting party has to access each one of the predetermined WWW pages, in order to display the messages and listen to the music performance.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for creating data-containing musical composition information which enables simultaneous execution of music performance processing based on a MIDI file and data processing such as display of a message, a reproduction device for reproducing the data-containing musical composition information, a transmission/reception system for transmitting/receiving the data-containing musical composition information, and a recording medium storing the data-containing musical composition information.
To accomplish the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a device for creating data-containing musical composition information, which comprises: a composition information supply section that supplies musical composition information; an accessory data supply section that supplies accessory data and setting information for the accessory data; and a synthesized file creation section that adds the accessory data and the setting information to the musical composition information without changing a recording format and substance of the musical composition information, to thereby create a musical composition information file comprising a combination of the musical composition information and the accessory data and the setting information.
The musical composition information may, for example, be a so-called xe2x80x9cstandard MIDI filexe2x80x9d, in which case the musical composition information is recorded in accordance with a predetermined standard. Examples of what can be recorded as a meta event in the standard MIDI file include textual data relating to the musical composition information, such as a text, copyright indication, sequence name/track name, name of a musical instrument, lyrics, etc. Thus, in one implementation of the present invention, the synthesized file creation section, using such meta events, can add, to the musical composition information, accessory data, such as message data (text data), unrelated to the musical composition information and setting information relating to display of the accessory data (e.g., various setting data relating to message data such as a displayed form, color and font, of a text), to thereby create a musical composition information file that comprises a combination of the musical composition information and the accessory data and the setting information. Consequently, by recording and/or transmitting the musical composition information file with the accessory data and setting information added thereto, the accessory data (including the setting information) and musical composition data can be handled as an integral unit.
The present invention also provides a device for reproducing data-containing musical composition information, which comprises: a composition information supply section that adds desired accessory data and setting information for the accessory data to musical composition information, to thereby supply a musical composition information file comprising a combination of the musical composition information and the accessory data and the setting information; a data extraction section that extracts the accessory data and the setting information from the musical composition information file supplied by the composition information supply section; a data reproduction processing section that executes data reproduction processing based on the accessory data and the setting information extracted from the musical composition information file; and a performance reproduction processing section that executes performance reproduction processing based on the musical composition information file. In this reproduction device, the composition information supply section supplies a musical composition information file comprising an integral combination of the musical composition information and created accessory data with setting information. The composition information supply section supplies the musical composition information file by reading it out from a recording medium or receiving it via a communication network. The data extraction section extracts only the accessory data and setting information, unrelated to the musical composition information, from among meta events in the musical composition information file. Because the thus-extracted accessory data and setting information are message data and the like, reproduction processing based on these data and information is carried out by the data reproduction processing section. For example, a message is visually reproduced on a video display screen or by printing in a particular format corresponding to the setting information. The performance reproduction processing section, on the other hand, executes performance reproduction processing based on the musical composition information. This way, on the basis of the musical composition information file handled as an integral unit, the processing corresponding to the accessory data and setting information therefor is executed simultaneously with the performance processing corresponding to the musical composition information.
The present invention also provides a system for transmitting/receiving data-containing musical composition information, which comprises: a composition information supply section that supplies musical composition information; an accessory data supply section that supplies accessory data and setting information for the accessory data; a synthesized file creation section that adds the accessory data and the setting information to the musical composition information without changing a recording format and substance of the musical composition information, to thereby create a musical composition information file comprising a combination of the musical composition information and the accessory data and the setting information; and a transmission/reception section that transmits or receives the musical composition information file having the accessory data and the setting information added thereto. Similarly to the above-mentioned musical composition information creation device, this transmitting/receiving system transmits or receives a musical composition information file containing accessory data, such as message data (text data), unrelated to the musical composition information, and setting information relating display of the accessory data (e.g., various setting data relating to message data such as a displayed form, color and font, of a text). Thus, at an receiving end, the message display processing and the performance processing can be executed simultaneously by just reproducing the musical composition information file.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a machine-readable recording medium containing a musical composition information file. The musical composition information file stored in the medium includes a group of data of musical composition information containing performance information and a group of data of accessory information. The accessory information contains data indicative of its substance or contents and setting information, and the data group of the accessory information is inserted in the musical composition information file without changing a format and substance of the performance information. Thus, such a musical composition information file is provided in a recorded form which comprises a combination of the performance information and the accessory information.
The present invention can be arranged and practiced not only as a device invention but also a method or system invention. The present invention can also be practiced as a program for execution by a computer or DSP, as well as a recording medium storing such a program.